DxOMark offers verdict on Nikon D4, D800 (updated)
posted Monday, March 26, 2012 at 7:08 PM EDT
Nikon's latest FX-format digital SLRs--the Nikon D4 and D800--both feature brand-new image sensors. We note with interest, then, that both models have recently completed DxO Labs' DxOMark sensor tests. DxO Labs is the company behind the Optics Pro image processing application, and they're rather uniquely-positioned to offer judgement on sensor performance.
We won't spoil the results here, but suffice to say that both models performed well. For the full story, hop on over to DxO Labs' analysis of either camera:
Update: DxO has issued a press release regarding their D800 analysis, which we've added to this article.
Press Release
Nikon D800 image quality even surpasses high-end medium-format cameras, DxOMark says
With an impressive DxOMark Score of 95, the Nikon D800 illustrates the continuous improvement in DSLR image quality achieved over the years
March 27, 2012 – DxOMark, the reference web site for camera image quality testing, has released its in-depth analysis of the new Nikon D800, as of now the best camera ever tested by DxOMark in terms of image quality.
Incredibly, the Nikon D800 even surpasses the best medium-format cameras, which are priced more than 10 times higher! The Nikon D800 comes out almost 1/3 of a stop higher than the best medium-format camera scored on DxOMark, the Phase One IQ180, which features a double-surface sensor and more than twice the pixel count (36 vs. 80 Mpix).
“The new sensor featured in the D800 achieves the best dynamic range and the highest color sensitivity ever measured, taking the lead on the DxOMark scale with 95 points,” explained Dr. Frédéric Guichard, DxO Labs’ Chief Scientific Officer. “This camera illustrates the consistent improvement that digital camera manufacturers have been able to achieve in the last few years, mimicking Moore’s law that has ruled the silicon industry for decades now.”
Mining DxOMark data, one can see the amazing progress of sensor performance over the past decade, from the Canon 1Ds released in 2002 with a DxOMark Score of 63, to the Nikon D3 and the Canon 1Ds Mark III, which both reached a DxOMark Score of 80 in 2007 (+17, i.e. approx. one stop in sensitivity), and now the D800 that adds the equivalent of one more stop in sensitivity performance with a DxOMark Score of 95.
Read more at http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Publications/DxOMark-Reviews/Nikon-D800-Review/Sensor-performance
About DxOMark
Sponsored by DxO Labs, DxOMark is the web most reliable, objective, manufacturer-independent source of image quality related information that demanding photographers can trust for cameras and lenses. Going far beyond the usual scope of camera and lens reviews, DxOMark offers the following exclusive benefits:
- For photographers who shoot in RAW, DxOMark is the only image quality information resource that gives them what they really need: measurement of straight-from-camera RAW files. DxOMark rankings and analyses are never affected by in-camera image processing. As a result, DxOMark is the only available way to evaluate camera RAW performance.
- It’s a little-known scientific fact that the image quality of a lens is strongly dependent on the camera on which it is mounted. DxOMark is the only resource that measures the performance of each lens with every compatible camera – resulting in a wide range of different results for the same lens! For a photographer assessing a lens for his or her own camera, this is the only information that counts.
- No two manufacturers measure ISO sensitivity, exposure time, focal length and other key parameters in the same way. Consequently, manufacturer-published image quality data cannot be compared. Only DxOMark takes its own measurements for all camera and lens settings and parameters that influence image quality – without ever relying on the manufacturers’ published specifications – and then normalizes the test results so that the performance of different cameras and lenses can be compared in a valid and meaningful way.
To ensure precision and reliability, all measurements are performed at DxO Labs’ dedicated testing laboratories, where conditions and protocols are controlled using standardized metrology. These protocols are detailed on the DxOMark website, so that anyone interested in performing their own measurements can do so.
DxOMark measurements rely on DxO Analyzer, the world’s leading turnkey laboratory solution for image quality evaluation. Thanks to its accuracy, completeness, and reliability, DxO Analyzer has become the definitive reference tool for numerous leading imaging industry players, photography magazines, and websites.
Visit us at www.dxomark.com
About DxO Labs
DxO Labs offers products and solutions that ensure excellence in digital imaging. The company develops and licenses patented intellectual property serving the entire digital imaging chain:
- For consumer electronics OEM/ODM (such as digital camera and smartphone vendors): embedded software and silicon architectures for real-time still and video image processing;
- For imaging component suppliers (camera module manufacturers, sensor vendors, and processor vendors) as well as for photojournalists and imaging experts: image quality evaluation and measurement tools;
- For serious and demanding photographers: PC and Mac solutions for enhancing camera image quality.
For more information, visit DxO Labs website at www.dxo.com